Three-time major victor and World No. 2 Andy Murray of Britain will face former US Open champion Juan Martin del Potro for the first time since defeating the Argentinian to win his second consecutive men’s singles gold medal at the Olympic Games in Brazil last month.
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Kyle Edmund is scheduled to face Del Potro on Sunday although the Argentine star hinted that he may sit out what could be the decisive rubber as Andy Murray is favourite to defeat Guido Pella in the first reverse singles.
Murray is expected to partner big brother Jamie, who clinched his second Grand Slam of the season with the men’s doubles title in NY, in the doubles as he looks set to play three times in three days against Argentina.
The decision to put del Potro in this doubles match (which was very unlikely for Argentina to win) didn’t look very logic, but it seems he will not play in tomorrow’s 5th rubber (as Andy will nearly for sure beat Pella), which puts Argentina in a very tough position.
In Zadar, Croatia and France were tied at 1-1 after Friday’s singles in their Davis Cup semi-final clash after Richard Gasquet and Marin Cilic both won their matches.
He added: “We did a good job of getting out there and performing well and fighting as hard as we could”.
The older Murray brother will only play in the doubles match on Saturday – in which he is likely to partner Andy – and is expected to be able to attend the funeral.
“We played a great match, we had to”.
Great Britain’s hopes of a second successive Davis Cup final appearance are still alive after another special afternoon in Glasgow for Andy and Jamie Murray.
The Wimbledon champion’s dominance on home soil for Great Britain had seen him win every rubber he had played, but he could not overcome a re-invigorated Del Potro. Still, Murray brothers saved their best tennis for the end, taking the final 3 games to clinch the set 6-4 and retake the overall lead to 2-1. But anyone with any previous exposure to Britain’s Davis Cup ties must have realised this couldn’t possibly continue in such a one-sided, straightforward manner, and the South Americans took the second set and were well-placed to snaffle the third, too, after breaking for a 4-3 lead. I am exhausted now.
There was nothing to separate the sides in the fourth set which went with serve until the tenth game where, in a repeat of the third, the Murrays broke at the crucial moment to claim victory.
“We’re going to need the Glasgow roar”, he said.
Sensing Mayer pinching the middle on set point, Andy Murray bolted a backhand return victor down the line, breaking del Potro’s serve and giving Great Britain a two sets to one lead.
Meanwhile, four countries secured their place in the 2017 World Group with 3-0 victories.
Meanwhile, captain Smith played tribute to the mercurial brothers, whose Davis Cup record together makes for impressive reading.
“I can not imagine this moment in my career”, Del Potro said.
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The 27-year-old said: ” I will try to do a different match from Rio.
